Alongside stunning national parks, deadly wildlife and fantastic surf, Australia is also home to more than 25 million people. Most of them cling to the coastlines in built-up cities like Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The seven million or so that are left are dotted around 7.7 million square kilometres of rural or remote land, far from services and amenities offered by urban life.
In an area famous for its blazing deserts, deadly critters and lack of company, it may not be that surprising that people living in rural and remote parts of Australia have higher rates of hospitalisation, injury and deaths. At one time, people suffering from serious illnesses or injuries had to travel hundreds of kilometres across uninhabited land by horse, cart or even camel to seek medical attention. They often died before they reached it.
But since 1928, trips to the emergency room or even routine check-ups haven’t been as much hassle for rural Australians and travellers as you might think. The answer? Flying doctors.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service has been helping those in need for morepeople living in some of the most rural, remote areas of Australia. Also known as the RFDS (or simply, the Flying Doctor), the non-profit service has stations and clinics located all over the country and, through the use of a fleet of aeroplanes, can reach anyone, anywhere, within hours. In 2020, the RFDS assisted 320,100 patients in need and flew 27,250,793 kilometres – the equivalent of 34 trips to the Moon and back – while doing it. And it’s all thanks to the work of a man named Reverend John Flynn.
